In 2002, the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) due to testing positive for steroids use suspended Josh Barnett, 31, for six months. His post-fight urinalysis revealed traces of three anabolic agents, namely, Boldenone metabolite, Fluoxymesterone metabolite and Nandrolone metabolite. This was after he defeated Randy Couture at UFC 36, which earned him the heavyweight title. Despite the positive steroids test, he denied using any anabolic steroids, and even challenged NSAC’s testing protocol.

Last July, he requested for a re-licensure and filed an appeal before the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC). However, on July 21, Barnett was notified by CSAC that he again tested positive for the anabolic steroid 2a-methyl-5a-androstan-3a-ol-17-one, in his pre-test supposedly as a pre-requisite to renew his license. A second sample was obtained, also reflecting the same results as the first testing.

Last Monday, CSAC granted his appeal to extend his hearing. It was re-scheduled on December 8, 2009.

According to CSAC Interim Executive Officer David T. Thornton, it was Barnett’s attorney, Michael DiMaggio, who contacted the commission to request for an extension. According to DiMaggio, their law firm is still awaiting additional information from the UCLA laboratory that conducted Barnett’s tests.

From Sherdog:

LOS ANGELES –- Josh Barnett was granted a second extension Monday for an appeals hearing the fighter had requested after the California State Athletic Commission denied his re-licensure in late July due to a positive pre-test for an anabolic steroid. The new hearing will be held on Dec. 8.

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Dennis Hallman, the world-renowned grappler and professional mixed martial artist is back. Hallman recently signed a four-fight deal with UFC last month. His first UFC 106 match will be held on November 21 in Las Vegas against John Howard.

Hallman was reported in 2007 to test positive for drostanolone and nandrolone metabolite, two anabolic agents. He failed the test after defeating Jeremiah Metcalf at the “Bodog Fight presents Strikeforce: Four Man Enter, One man survives” event.

He failed the doping test along with Alexander Crispin a fellow Strikeforce mate, who tested positive for Desoxymethyltestosterone.

He was banned for one year, starting November 16, 2007 and an additional 38 days was added when he renewed his fighter’s license, as fulfillment of the terms of his suspension. He was also fined $2,500 by the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC).

Hallman and Howard made a verbal agreement but the official decision is still pending.

He recently defeated Justin Davis at the June Strikeforce event by first-round submission.

Hallman, also known as “Superman”, has an MMA record of 39 wins, three of which is by knockout; 28 by submission; 12 losses; 2 draws and 1no contest.

From MMA Frenzy:

Welterweight veteran Denis Hallman, who signed a four-fight deal with the UFC last month, will return to the Octagon against John Howard at UFC 106 on November 21 in Las Vegas.

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UFC mixed martial arts fighter Justin Levens was found dead along with his wife in their Laguna Niguel condominium in California. Authorities believed it was a case of murder-suicide although investigation is still ongoing to determine exactly the nature of the crime.

“Nothing has been ruled out,” said Orange Country Sheriff’s spokesman Jim Amormino.

The bodies of Levens, 28 and his wife Sara McLean-Levens, 25, were discovered around 2:30 pm Wednesday by the mother of McLean-Levens, saying she got worried when she had not heard from her daughter for five days. When she saw the bodies, the woman dialed 911 for help. The bodies were believed to be in the home for at least a few days.

Orange County Superior Court records indicated that Levens was convicted in 2003 of spousal injury.

His last fight was scheduled July this year, but he was banned before the fight for testing positive for oxymorphone, an opioid analgesic.

This case has spawned suspicions that the crime was caused by roid rage, a term used to refer to aggressive and violent behavior of anabolic steroid users. However, there has been no concrete indication that Levens was abusing steroids.

According to the report of LA Times, no suicide note was found but authorities recovered a handgun at the scene. Police also found huge amounts of pain killers and anti-depressants at the condo but not anabolic steroids.

It has been compared with the Chris Benoit double murder-suicide which was alleged to have been caused also by roid rage. However, people who are involved in the case, including Benoit’s father, linked the wrestler’s murderous behavior to dementia which was believed to be caused by repetitive head concussions

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Michael Bisping’s gym is now in another type of arena as it leads the fight against use of anabolic steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs in the sport.

Wolfslair MMA gym in Widnes wants to prove to the followers of the sport that its fighters are not involved in steroid abuse.

American Chris Leben tested positive for the stanozolol following his encounter with Bisping. The American fighter got suspended for nine months and was asked to pay the fine amounting to a third of his fight purse by the UFC. Leben lost to Bisping in points in at the UFC 89 that took place Oct. 18.

Wolfslair owner Anthony McGann stated: “With regards to steroids in the sport, we go one step further than the UFC and test internally. We test in-house before fights. Not because we think our fighters are taking anything but because we don’t want to get tarred with that brush.”

Aside from Bisping, other notable charges of the gym include Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson and Cheick Congo.

McGann along with another MMA fan Lee Gwynn have been able to establish Wolfslair as UK’s premier training ground for high-level MMA fighters. Not bad for something which has started as a hobby for both its founders.

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MMAjunkie.com reports that mixed martial Chris Leben is penalized with a nine-month suspension due to failed doping test.

Leben’s promotion, the Ultimate Fighting Championships, handed down the suspension when the middleweight fighter tested positive for the anabolic steroid stanozolol in a post-fight screening. Leben was also asked to pay a fine amounting to one-third of the payroll he received at the UFC 89 that took place in Birmingham, England.

Leben lost to English fighter Michael Bisping in said event through unanimous decision.

Leben stated: “I’ve really done everything I can to turn my life around, and this is a huge setback for me, but it is something I will have to deal with. During my time off from fighting, I want to speak to kids about the dangers of using performance enhancing agents and let them know it just doesn’t get you ahead in life. Of course this is a hard hit for me monetarily, but more so this is embarrassing for me and for all of my fans. I apologize to the UFC and everyone who supported me in my fight in England. I hope to work through this and get back to fighting soon.”

Meanwhile, UFC president Dana White said: “I am obviously disappointed with Chris, who has made great strides getting his life back on track. To his credit, he has taken responsibility for his actions and is accepting the punishment that has been handed down. But as always, the UFC puts the safety of its athletes first and foremost, and we won’t tolerate anyone using performance enhancing drugs in our organization.”

Leben is expected to return to the UFC July 2009.

More background info from MMAjunkie.com:

Leben had been scheduled to headline UFC 85 with Bisping in June, but the bout was postponed so that Leben could serve jail time for a previous DUI offense. He hoped jail time wouldn’t be issued and that the move would allow him to secure a visa for the event. However, Leben was sentenced to 35 days in the Clackamas County Jail in Oregon (though he was released early), and the fight was postponed.

Serving the jail time was part of what Leben called a maturation process that followed his move to Hawaii, where he now serves as an MMA instructor at the ICON Fitness and MMA Center. Prior to UFC 89, Leben, who appeared on “The Ultimate Fighter 1″ (with a few drunken rampages), also said he had quit drinking.

Stanozolol, commonly sold as Winstrol (oral) and Winstrol Depot (injectable) is a synthetic steroid derived from testosterone. It has been prescribed to treat diverse conditions in both human and animal patients. In humans, stanozolol is effective in treating anemia and hereditary angioedema. In animals, it is used in promoting muscle growth, appetite, and red blood cell production.

Other MMA fighters who tested positive for this steroid in the past include Phil Baroni, Tim Sylvia, and German-born Kimo Leopoldo.

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Evan Tanner, one of the standouts of the sport of mixed martial arts, is dead at 37.

Tanner’s body was found in the Palo Verde mountain area in California near the Arizona border in September 8. Authorities also found the site where Tanner was believed to have camped out. Tanner’s motorcycle was also discovered in the site.

The Imperial Country Sheriff’s office is not yet disclosing further details relating to the tragedy but according to published reports a deputy from the sheriff’s office discovered the body in the mountain’s Clapp Spring area. No official statement yet as to the cause and other circumstances surrounding Tanner’s death.

Tanner’s friends, however, provided some details. They said they last heard from him on Sept. 3, Wednesday, and it was on Saturday when a search was carried out. At that time temperature in the area soared to nearly 115 degrees. It was reported that the initial search efforts yielded no results.

Tanner was born in Amarillo, Texas and had shown interest in wrestling when he was in high school, winning titles during his junior and senior years. In 1997, he became a professional mixed martial artist and commenced on working for an impressive19-0 record. That had paved the way for him into the UFC promotion.

In 2001, Tanner earned his first title shot but was defeated by UFC light heavyweight champ Tito Ortiz in a decisive first-round knockout. For his next eight fights after dropping to the middleweight division, however, Tanner dished out stellar performances, scoring a 7-1 record. Then at UFC 51 in February 2005, Tanner triumphed over David Terrell via TKO for the UFC’s vacant 185-pound title. Tanner did not keep that title for long though as he was defeated four months later by Rich Franklin at UFC 53.

Subsequent to that defeat, Tanner fought two times more for the organization then took almost a two-year hiatus from the cage. He spent his time off putting up a charity to house and to train disadvantaged athletes, a cause he eventually dropped. It was also during that time, Tanner started to blog on his official website, openly writing about his recreational activities, which included his travels. He also posted about his battle with alcohol addiction. Tanner was known for veering away from corporate sponsorships, relying on his fan base to sponsor him directly.

In November 2007, Tanner announced that he was returning to competition as confirmed with his new four-fight deal with UFC.  Tanner was able to fulfill two of those bouts, but suffered losses in March and June to Yushin Okami and Kendall Grove respectively.

Prior to his bout with Grove, Tanner started to write an online journal at Spike.com with his final post dated Sept.2. His blog that day talked about his plan to train at the Compound MMA camp in Oceanside, Calif., as well as his surfing activity.

Tanner talked about his plan to camp out in the California desert in his Aug. 16 entry.
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“I’ve been gathering my gear for this adventure for over a month, not a long time by most standards, but far too long for my impatient nature.Being a minimalist by nature, wanting to carry only the essentials, and being extremely particular, it has been a little difficult to find just the right equipment. I plan on going so deep into the desert that any failure of my equipment could cost me my life.”

Tanner died with a professional record of 32-8 MMA, 12-5 UFC.

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During a conference call Tuesday, MMA observers witnessed a very confident Dana White. The UFC president is assuring MMA fans of  two things – the possibility of the Randy Couture-Fedor Emelianenko matchup and the security of his fight promotion vis-à-vis Affliction Entertainment.

White says the bout between MMA’s two most popular fighters is as close to a sure thing. UFC, he states, will just simply wait.

“Randy Couture’s going to fight November 15,” White said. “He’s going to fight Brock Lesnar in the biggest fight in UFC history. The rest of the heavyweight division will be figured out in December. I would be f—king horrified if Affliction is still in business by January. They’re going to burn a lot of cash in the next couple of months, believe me. Good luck to them and I’ll be sitting here waiting to see what happens.”

Things have recently patched up between Couture and UFC. “The Natural” recently signed a three-fight deal with the promotion. Emelianenko, meanwhile, has committed his services exclusively to Affliction Entertainment. But White is expecting an outcome favorable to UFC, confidently predicting the demise of the rival promotion.

“These guys are dying on the vine,” said White of Affliction. “They’ll be gone in a couple of months anyway and then Fedor will have to come here. Listen, you’re not under contract if the company isn’t in business anymore. We’ll figure it out.”

White’s promotion remains at the top of the industry’s echelon despite several attempts to displace its position. There was the International Fight League, which many had thought could go head-to-head with UFC, but only ran for 23 events and incurred $36 million debt, reports say. Pro Elite, parent company of several fight promotions including EliteXC and King of the Cage, is reportedly suffering the same fate as did IFL.

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It looks like Randy Couture and the Ultimate Fighting Championship is finally patching things up.

It was reported that Couture, the UFC’s reigning heavyweight champion, could fight for the promotion by year’s end, an indication that their legal battle is reaching a resolution.

Couture’s future fight could be a part of an out-of-court settlement with UFC. One source close to the fighter said that the fight could be Couture’s ticket to walk away from the organization without legal entanglements.

It is unclear at this time, however, if UFC will be amenable to Couture’s concession.

The 45-year-old fighter resigned from UFC in October 2007 based on several issues. Apparently, Couture was dissatisfied with the treatment and compensation he received from the organization. Also, Couture has also some issues over UFC’s failure to sign Fedor Emelianenko, who was a free agent then. Couture had wanted to fight Emelianenko, the number one ranked heavyweight champion. Zuffa LLC, UFC’s parent company, believed that Couture has two more fights as per his fight contract.

In February this year, Couture signed a contract with HDNet Fights promotion, which later filed a suit against UFC in a Dallas district court to obtain a declaratory judgment regarding the contractual status of Couture, nicknamed “The Natural”. A Texas appeals court, however, decided in favor of Zuffa earlier this month. The court conditionally granted UFC’s request for a stay against the motion.

For those of you who don’t know, Randy Couture claims to the name, Randy “The Natural” Couture, but with his big head he’s obviously abusing human growth hormone (HGH). It’s easy for him to use a lot of HGH since there was to real testing for human growth hormone (HGH) for many years, and there is no real tests for HGH to this day. HGH testing is not like anabolic steroid testing.

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Another explosive battle between welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre and B.J. Penn might take place next year, according to St. Pierre’s manager Shari Spencer.

In a recent radio interview, Spencer confirmed that a repeat encounter could happen on Jan. 31 in Las Vegas.

“That’s my understanding,” said Spencer. “I know [UFC President] Dana [White] has been announcing it publicly. We haven’t officially signed a bout agreement, but everything is pointing toward January 31 in Vegas against B.J. Penn.”

In March 2006 at UFC 58 USA Versus Canada, St. Pierre won via a split decision over Penn.  The 29-year-old Penn currently holds UFC’s lightweight championship belt and fans want to see these two fighters deliver classic octagon action.

Spencer confirmed news of the planned 170-pound title bout on the heels of intensive renegotiations with Zuffa LLC, parent company to the UFC, to retain St. Pierre’s services.

“We’ve been in long discussions with the UFC for several months,” said Spencer. “I am not at liberty to say anything right now. But there should be some news coming out regarding that very shortly.”

St. Pierre’s recent bout earned him a unanimous decision over Jon Fitch at UFC 87 Seek and Destroy last August 9. After that match, the Canadian fighter had one fight remaining on his contract with UFC. And there had been rumors the “Rush” might end up with opposing promotion, particularly Affliction Entertainment. Now that St. Pierre’s services had been retained by UFC the rumors have been dispelled.

BJ Penn is coming off a win over Sean Sherk, who was suspended from the UFC and lost the UFC lightweight title due to testing positive for anabolic steroids.  He denied using steroids and stuck to his story.  The anti-steroid BJ Penn slammed Sean Sherk for steroid use, but couldn’t go further.  He defeated Sean Sherk but didn’t defeat the rumor about Sherks’ steroid use.  Of course in MMA/UFC and every other sport, HGH is widely used because there is no test for it - and judging by BJ Penns’ big forehead, he’s a HGH lover!

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Mixed martial arts is a kind of sport that requires a high tolerance for pain and maybe James Irvin has a relatively lowered pain threshold than most MMA fighters. So, he opted to use painkillers. Bad, bad idea. Methadone and oxymorphone are scheduled, dude!

And the fact that the Nevada State Athletic Commission conducts post-fight doping screening of athletes under its jurisdiction, Irvin’s intake of these banned compounds screams for the question: What were you thinking, dude?!

Irvin apparently threw caution to the wind when he grabbed the opportunity to fight Anderson Silva on UFC Fight Night on July 19. This despite a recent injury he sustained while he was training for his bout against Rashad Evans on UFC 85: Bedlam. The match-up with Evans did not push through and Irvin lost to Silva. So, all those painkillers he took to speed up recovery of his injury were all for nothing.

Now, Irvin is under temporary suspension pending a disciplinary hearing with the NSAC. His hearing with the NSAC could result to cancellation of his license and/or pecuniary fine for his alleged violations. Bad, bad news for Irvin.

Sherdog.com has the details:

Getting the opportunity to face the world’s top pound-for-pound fighter might not have been worth it to James Irvin in the end.

After getting squashed by Anderson Silva in a minute and one second during their July 19 UFC light heavyweight tilt on Spike TV, the Sacramento native has allegedly tested positive for the non-approved analgesic painkillers Methadone and Oxymorphone according to a post-fight urinalysis conducted by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

Irvin’s manager, Mike Roberts, told Sherdog.com Tuesday afternoon that he had not been aware of the allegations and had not been in contact with his client about them yet. Irvin could not be immediately reached for comment.

Irvin, 29, took the Silva bout on the heels of recovery from a broken foot, after the UFC had swiftly organized the July 19 event to counter-program a pay-per-view hosted by the rival Affliction promotion on the same night.

A former star on the central California’s WEC circuit prior to the promotion’s purchase by Zuffa LLC. in 2006, the heavy-handed Irvin had posted back-to-back wins over Luis Arthur Cane and Houston Alexander before his one-sided loss to UFC middleweight champion Silva.

Methadone is a synthetic opioid used as analgesic to treat chronic and severe pain. It is also used to abate withdrawal symptoms of former drug dependents. Oxymorphone is also classified as a narcotic pain reliever.

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